Grounded: A Climate Startup Journey

Restord
Grounded: A Climate Startup Journey

Tackling climate change is a serious business. This is the award-winning story of a startup that wants to remove carbon from the atmosphere and help reshape our relationship with the planet. Ideally without burning to the ground in the process. It was a good few years back when Tom Previte stumbled across biochar. That was during the first season of a podcast he co-hosts - ‘The Carbon Removal Show’. And it turns out that this biochar stuff… it's not just an ancient technology but also a cutting-edge solution for today’s climate problems.  Grounded: A Climate Startup Journey captures the highs and lows of a green startup - from sharp learning curves to unlikely breakthroughs. Listen in as Tom digs deep into the realities and complexities of setting up a carbon removal project, and gets to grips with the science, the money, and everything it takes to build an environmentally (and financially) sustainable business. Because if we’re going to save the planet, we’re going to need a lot more businesses like this one. Restord is grateful for financial support for this podcast from UKRI's Greenhouse Gas Removal Hub (grant ref: NE/V013106/1) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Episode 7: 'Got Wood?'

    After months of physical and emotional labour, the stars are beginning to align and the prospect of actually making biochar is now tantalisingly close. But Tom’s recipe is still missing one crucial ingredient: wood, and lots of it. So, while he pores over his cashflow projections and awaits delivery of his machine, he sets about trying to find some. And as he soon discovers, this wood business is a little trickier than it first appears. For instance, how many Toms does it take to guide an 8-wheeler down a country road? If a tree falls in a forest, does it necessarily make good biochar? And what does this all have to do with elephants?   Grounded is the award-winning story of a startup that wants to remove carbon from the atmosphere and help reshape our relationship with the planet. Ideally without burning to the ground in the process.   Follow the podcast to hear Tom’s journey, or visit restord.earth to learn more about the project.   Thank you to the guests who featured in this episode, including:   Dr Bojana Bajzelj – VP Carbon Removal, BeZero CarbonChintan Mahida – Co-Founder, CapCharAdam Samuel – Co-Founder, CapCharTeam members at Corserv and Cormac  Grounded: A Climate Startup Journey is: hosted by Tom Previte, produced by Ben Weaver-Hincks, with marketing by Oluwaseun Sanni, graphic design by Liubov Pankiv, and promotional support by Paola Sáenz, Jack Turnham and Lizzy Read Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
  2. 4 JUN

    Episode 5: 'The End of the Beginning'

    It’s the fifth and (for now) final episode, and Tom finds himself facing the challenge that all founders will face: how to make the numbers work. So he whips out his calculator, picks up the phone, and starts sending off those grant applications. Amidst it all, he’s dealing with a cold workspace, grappling with contracts, and taking his first foray into filmmaking. Sure, he’s picked up a few new skills lately. But the question is: can he find a buyer for his credits? And, ultimately, will he get the funds he needs to make this all happen?   Grounded is the story of a startup that wants to remove carbon from the atmosphere and help reshape our relationship with the planet. Ideally without burning to the ground in the process.   Follow the podcast to hear Tom’s journey, or visit restord.earth to learn more about the project. Thank you to the guests who featured in this episode, including:   Peter Fisher – Director, Bennetts AssociatesBen Hopkins – Associate, Bennetts AssociatesPeter Mayer – Partner, Stairs Dillenbeck Finley Mayer PLLCCouncillor Martyn Alvey – Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change, Cornwall Council (Councillor Alvey recorded this conversation in April 2024, prior to the UK pre-election period.)  Grounded: A Climate Startup Journey is: hosted by Tom Previte, produced by Ben Weaver-Hincks, with graphic design by Liubov Pankiv, and marketing and promotional support by Paola Sáenz and Jack Turnham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    34 min
  3. 21 MAY

    Episode 3: 'Lean, Mean, Charring Machine'

    It’s episode three, and Tom has begun his search for a machine to make his biochar. But he soon learns that this particular shopping trip is going to be a lot more complicated (and potentially expensive) than he expected. Along the way, he meets a founder who’s been down this road before, encounters the messy world of ‘standards’, and gets lost in an extended baking metaphor that leaves him slightly peckish. Will he find a machine that will work for his pilot and allow him to mint credits? Or is it time to get out of the kitchen? Grounded is the story of a startup that wants to remove carbon from the atmosphere and help reshape our relationship with the planet. Ideally without burning to the ground in the process.   Follow the podcast to hear Tom’s journey over the following weeks, or visit restord.earth to learn more about the project.   Thank you to the guests who featured in this episode, including:   Rob Palmer – Director of Innovation, UNDOChintan Mahida – Co-Founder, CapCharAdam Samuel – Co-Founder, CapCharGarrett Guard – Carbon Removal Methodology Specialist, C-CapsuleEmily Swaddle – Co-host, The Carbon Removal ShowAlex Hume – Senior Associate, Finance Earth  Grounded: A Climate Startup Journey is: hosted by Tom Previte, produced by Ben Weaver-Hincks, with graphic design by Liubov Pankiv, and marketing and promotional support by Paola Sáenz and Jack Turnham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min

About

Tackling climate change is a serious business. This is the award-winning story of a startup that wants to remove carbon from the atmosphere and help reshape our relationship with the planet. Ideally without burning to the ground in the process. It was a good few years back when Tom Previte stumbled across biochar. That was during the first season of a podcast he co-hosts - ‘The Carbon Removal Show’. And it turns out that this biochar stuff… it's not just an ancient technology but also a cutting-edge solution for today’s climate problems.  Grounded: A Climate Startup Journey captures the highs and lows of a green startup - from sharp learning curves to unlikely breakthroughs. Listen in as Tom digs deep into the realities and complexities of setting up a carbon removal project, and gets to grips with the science, the money, and everything it takes to build an environmentally (and financially) sustainable business. Because if we’re going to save the planet, we’re going to need a lot more businesses like this one. Restord is grateful for financial support for this podcast from UKRI's Greenhouse Gas Removal Hub (grant ref: NE/V013106/1) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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